What Is an InBody Scan and What Do Your Results Mean?

Maybe you've seen it sitting in the corner of your gym and wondered what it actually does. Maybe a friend mentioned getting their body comp checked, and you had no idea what that meant. Or maybe someone handed you a results sheet after a scan, and you're currently staring at a bunch of numbers that mean absolutely nothing to you yet.

Either way, we've got the answers you need!

Here's everything you need to know about the InBody scan, what it actually measures, and (most importantly) what your results tell you about your body.

So, What Is an InBody Scan?

An InBody scan is a body composition test that breaks down exactly what your body is made of, like how much muscle you're carrying, how much fat, how much water, and where it's all sitting.

The scan itself is quick, painless, and non-invasive. You stand on a machine, hold two handles, and in about 45 seconds, it sends a safe, low-level electrical current through your body to analyze your tissue. Because fat, muscle, and water conduct electricity differently, the InBody scan can precisely calculate your body fat percentage, skeletal mass, and more.

The technology behind it is called Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), and the InBody machine is one of the most accurate and advanced versions of it available today.

Why Is It Better Than Just Weighing Yourself With a Scale?

The scale isn't totally useless. If you're weighing yourself consistently, it can help you spot general trends over time. But the problem is that the scale can't tell you what it's actually weighing. Fat, muscle, water, bone: it all just shows up as one number. That means:

• Someone who just finished a hard workout might weigh more due to water retention — even though they made progress
• Someone losing muscle on a crash diet might weigh less — even though their body composition is getting worse
• Two people can weigh the exact same amount and have completely different bodies

The InBody scan removes all of that guesswork. It tells you what changed in your body, not just how much.

InBody Scan Results Explained

If you're convinced, you can get an InBody scan at any of these nearby O2 Fitness Clubs locations: O2 Wake Forest, O2 James Island, and O2 Independence Blvd.

Once you're done, you'll walk away with a results sheet that looks a little overwhelming at first. But it really comes down to a handful of numbers that are actually worth paying attention to, here's what they mean:

Body Weight

Yes, it still shows your overall weight. But this time it's just one piece of data in a much bigger picture, not the whole story!

Total Body Water

Your body is made up of roughly 50–60% water, and this section shows how that water is distributed — specifically, how much is inside your cells versus outside them.

The balance between the two can tell a lot about hydration, inflammation, and overall health. If your extracellular water ratio is high, your body may be holding onto excess fluid (definitely worth a conversation with a Registered Dietitian!)

Skeletal Muscle Mass

This is one of the most important numbers on your sheet, especially if you're training. Skeletal muscle mass is the muscle attached to your bones that you actively use to move.

More muscle means a faster metabolism, better strength, improved blood sugar regulation, and a lower risk of injury as you age.

If you're working hard in the gym, this is the number you want to see going up.

Body Fat Mass

This is the total amount of fat in your body measured in kilograms. Now you might be surprised to hear this, but not all fat is bad. Your body needs a certain amount to function. But too much excess fat, especially around your organs, increases health risks significantly.

This number helps you understand where you actually stand rather than just guessing.

Body Fat Percentage

Rather than just total fat, this tells you what percentage of your body is fat. This is often a far more useful number than the scale because it gives real context.

For example, two people can both weigh 75kg. One might be at 14% body fat. The other at 32%. Same scale reading, but a completely different story.

General healthy ranges tend to be:

• Women: 21–33%
• Men: 8–19%

(These vary depending on age and individual goals, which is exactly why having a dietitian interpret your results with you makes such a difference!)

Visceral Fat Level

This is the one that surprises people the most and is the one worth taking seriously.

Visceral fat is fat stored deep inside your abdomen, wrapped around your organs. Unlike the fat you might be able to grab on your stomach, you can't see visceral fat or feel it. But it's one of the most significant markers for metabolic disease, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease that we have.

The InBody scan gives it a score from 1–20. Anything under 10 is generally considered healthy. If yours is higher than you'd like, the good news is that it responds really well to nutrition and lifestyle changes (often faster than people expect).

Segmental Lean Analysis

This is one of the coolest features that most people overlook. It breaks your body down into five segments — left arm, right arm, trunk, left leg, and right leg — and shows how much muscle mass is in each one.

This means you can actually see if one side of your body is significantly stronger than the other, or whether your upper and lower bodies are balanced in their development.

Most people have imbalances they had no idea existed. Knowing about them means you (and your trainer or dietitian) can actually do something about it.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns just existing — breathing, circulating blood, keeping your organs running. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your BMR, which is one of the biggest reasons building muscle is so powerful for long-term fat loss and weight management.

Why does this matter? Because it's the foundation of any nutrition plan. Eat too far below it for too long, and your body starts breaking down muscle for fuel. Know your number, and you can build a nutrition approach that actually supports your goals instead of working against them.

InBody Score

Think of this as your overall body composition score out of 100. It combines your muscle mass and fat levels into a single benchmark. It's not the most detailed number on the page, but it's a great way to track general progress and keep yourself motivated between scans.

Is It Worth Doing?

Yes! Especially if any of these sound like you:

✅ You've been training consistently, but the scale isn't moving, and you don't know why

✅ You want to lose fat without losing muscle

✅ You feel like you're doing everything right but not seeing results

✅ You're starting a new fitness or nutrition program and want a real baseline

✅ You just want to actually understand what's going on inside your body

The InBody scan gives you real data. Real data leads to real decisions that make real changes instead of trying something and hoping it works for you.

What Should You Do With Your Results?

Getting the scan is step one. Knowing what to actually do with your results is where most people get stuck.

At Loop Nutrition, our registered dietitians use your InBody results to build a nutrition plan that's specific to your body, your metabolism, and your goals. No guessing, no generic advice, no plans that were clearly written for someone else.

Just a strategy that actually uses your numbers.

Let's Talk About Your Results

Whether you've just had your first scan, you've been collecting results for months, or you're still on the fence about trying it — we'd love to chat.

Book a free 20-minute meeting with one of the registered dietitians at Loop Nutrition, and let's figure out what your next steps actually look like.

Book Your Free 20-Minute with a Loop RD Here!